Miles Partain Wins AVP Huntington Beach Open
May 22, 2023 | Men's Volleyball
UCLA's Miles Partain won the AVP Pro Series Huntington Beach Open over the weekend on the sand just north of the Huntington Beach pier. It was the second AVP win for Partain who captured the trophy at the AVP Gold Series Atlanta event last season.
Partain, who teamed with Andy Benesh as the fifth-seeded pair in the tournament, had to battle through the Contenders bracket after falling in the third round to the top-seeded team of Tri Bourne and Chaim Schalk. The Sunday rally began with a straight set victory over Olympic gold medalist Phil Dalhausser and Avery Drost, the seventh-seeded team, in the Contenders bracket quarterfinals. Benesh and Partain then outlasted the second-seeded pair of Theo Brunner and Trevor Crabb in three sets to advance to the final and a rematch with Bourne / Schalk. The top seeds registered a first set win at 20-22 before Benesh and Partain rebounded to take set two 21-11 and then pulled out a 15-12 win in set three for the title.
It was the first tournament win for Partain / Benesh. Partain's other AVP victory came with Paul Lotman at the AVP Gold Series Atlanta Open last season. Benesh also won last season's Pro Series Austin Open and a Tour Series event in 2022. "Andy is such a fun player to play with, and Coach Mike is awesome," said Partain. "It's been a real dream being able to play with those two people on my side. We're about to go play a bunch of tournaments in Europe, as are Tri and Chaim, so it was great to generate this momentum right here in front of our home crowd. Andy has been able to implement my playing style in high pressure situations, which is a testament to his incredible ability on the court."
The AVP Pro Series Huntington Beach Open featured 16-team women's and men's fields competing in a double-elimination bracket across three courts from Friday through Sunday. The women's and men's brackets each consisted of 10 teams automatically entered based on AVP ranking points, two wild cards and four teams who earned entry through Thursday's open qualifier.
The men's and women's finals of the AVP Pro Series Huntington Beach Open are scheduled to air on ESPNU Monday, May 22, from 5-7 p.m. PT/8-10 p.m. ET.
Men:
Contenders bracket quarterfinals
· (3) Taylor Crabb/Taylor Sander def. (4) Chase Budinger/Miles Evans, 24-22, 21-17
· (5) Andy Benesh/Miles Partain def. (7) Phil Dalhausser/Avery Drost, 21-17, 21-16
Semifinals
· (1) Tri Bourne/Chaim Schalk def. (3) Taylor Crabb/Taylor Sander, 24-22, 22-24, 15-10
· (5) Andy Benesh/Miles Partain def. (2) Theo Brunner/Trevor Crabb, 21-16, 14-21, 15-13
Final
· (5) Andy Benesh/Miles Partain def. (1) Tri Bourne/Chaim Schalk, 20-22, 21-11, 15-12
Broadcast Schedule:
· Women's and men's finals from the AVP Pro Series Huntington Beach Open will air on ESPNU Monday, May 22, from 5-7 p.m. PT/8-10 p.m. ET.
